We tend to associate hypertension with older age, but the truth is that anyone can develop high blood pressure — even kids. In fact, pediatric hypertension occurs in 2 to 5 percent of kids and is one of the top five chronic diseases in children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. While an elevated blood pressure reading may seem alarming, it isn’t always a sign of a more serious disease. Here’s what every parent should know about blood pressure in kids. …

It’s an unseasonably warm February day, and 4-year-old Nora is enjoying the fresh air, immersed in an intense game of “Mother May I?” She’s in the lead, but her friend Jonette Jean-Louis is catching up.

“Nora, you may take four ‘Single Ladies’ steps,” advises Linda Pengeroth. After asking permission, the little girl gleefully skips forward, waving her raised hand in homage to the iconic Beyoncé video. “I won!” she exclaims as she crosses the finish line, a wide smile spreading across her face. …

Justin Kibler is tall, strong and lean. At 18, he’s already a competitive rodeo star and an active member of Future Farmers of America (FFA). Looking at him, “he’s the picture of health.” But what can’t be seen, just by looking, is that just four years ago, Justin developed an extremely rare and dangerous disease called midaortic syndrome (MAS). And he needed special care that no one in his entire home state of Arizona could provide.

Midaortic syndrome is characterized by a narrowing of the parts of the aorta (the main artery that delivers oxygen-rich blood throughout the body), running through the chest and abdomen. MAS causes severe high blood pressure and can also significantly damage the brain, kidneys, intestines and limbs. Untreated, the disease is debilitating and life-threatening.

We last saw Kenslie Shealy in the spring of 2015, as she was settling back into life at home in South Carolina after a long stay at Boston Children’s Hospital. Kenslie, now 4, had emergency surgery for midaortic syndrome (MAS), a rare condition that affects the heart and kidneys. Untreated, the condition can lead to damage in the brain, intestines and limbs.

She recovered well after her first surgery, performed by kidney and liver surgeon Dr. Heung Bae Kim, but her parents, Lori and Calvin, knew she wasn’t “out of the woods” quite yet. Kenslie would eventually need a follow-up surgery to further expand her aorta. She needed to grow a bit more first, so her doctors didn’t set a date for her second procedure.

“They thought she was going to have to wait longer, until she was about 7 or 10 years old, but she’s already outgrowing the stents they put in last winter,” says Lori. “So they scheduled her for September. It’s a good sign. It means she’s healthy, developing well and was ready for it before they thought she would be.”

This summer, while Kenslie played outside and swam as much as possible, her parents planned for what they hoped will be their last multi-week stay in Boston for some time. …